The Phantom of the Opera: A Beauty and a Beast (Guile and Melody)

[Guile]

Erik was slightly disappointed in the irrational fears of these men, as he always was. Society would never change, it seemed. Everyone would always fear what they did not understand. "The insolence..." He whispered, shaking his head at the thought of such people. Still, he managed to smile at Madame Giry and flushed once again at her comment. "Well, thank you, my friend. I take pride in my work, but I hardly consider myself a mastermind." Erik chuckled at this.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Well, I do. You are amazing." Madame Giry left him. "I'm assuming you are going to talk to your family now, right? Christine will want to see you about the performance." Meg rolled her eyes as she braided her hair. "Of course, Christine will always want to see Erik and vice versa." The blonde sighed with another eye roll as preparation for another performance came to her. "But, don't worry. You should spend time with the family that you created, Erik. Don't worry about a thing."

 

[Guile]

Erik felt guilty the minute Meg brought up Christine, though he felt confident that what he said next would bring her comfort. "No, Meg, you will be happy to know that Christine hardly wants to see me." That what he firmly believed she felt, no matter how much it hurt. "In fact, she wants for me to stay out of her life for good, after this performance. She has her foppish husband to take care of her, and a son that loves her. All I am doing is causing chaos in her normally peaceful, though, in my own opinion quite unsatisfactory, life." Erik sighed, feeling quite helpless.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Well, that fop is taking away your family? He wins, is that right? What's the score now?" She was getting onto Erik for giving up so easily. "You're satisfied with watching Gustav from the sidelines while he grows to believe Raoul is his father? While he learns that it's okay to beat a woman senseless?" Meg was furious. "Erik, you couldn't be any more wrong if you tried! What did Christine go through last night? Who saved her?" Meg walked toward him. "It wasn't Gustav that did that. It wasn't Raoul that taught her to sing. It wasn't Raoul that gave her everything. Raoul left her as a child when her father died. Raoul wasn't there to be her comfort. Raoul didn't sing her to sleep every night, then wake her the next day to him singing or playing the music she loved!"

 

[Guile]

"They are not my family for him to take. They never were, not in their eyes." Erik was surprised by Meg's fury. In fact, he was a bit hurt by it. "I don't want to give up, Meg! But what else am I to do? I have tried everything to win her love, and yet she refuses me. Do you know how much it hurts me to know that she loves that drunk more than I?" He was yelling, but he wasn't angry at Meg, and that was clear from his tone. He was angry with himself, disappointed because he was unable to make Christine love him. "She has made it clear that she would prefer it if I were out of her life! I cannot just force her to leave him and come to me. I tried that long ago, and all that did was cause her to fear me. Perhaps I did all those things for her, but that doesn't seem to make her any more fond of me. After all, she married Raoul, didn't she?" Erik shook his head and stood, doing his best to remain calm and stop shouting.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"You are so very wrong when you say that she doesn't love you. She kissed you." Meg couldn't believe this. "You can't give up. I won't let you sacrifice your happiness for me again. I want Gustav to know his father and you know me, Erik." She forced him to look at her. "I will tell him the truth and let you have some happiness if you don't do it yourself." To prove her point, she started walking out, toward de Chagney manor. "I can't believe he won't even try. After what I heard about Christine, God, she doesn't even really eat right now." She wanted to help her friend.

 

[Guile]

"Meg, you don't understand. Meg!" Erik stood abruptly when the girl when to leave, for the de Chagney home, no doubt. "Meg!" He shouted as he ran after her, grabbing her wrist to try and stop her. The man was breathless, for he had been awfully afraid that he wouldn't catch her before she had gotten to Gustav. "Meg, please, you can't tell him. Christine would never forgive me...Gustav would never forgive me. I promised myself long ago that the child would never know that I was his father, I did so for Christine. If she wanted our son to know who his true father was, she would tell him. I cannot simply take this into my own hands - I have no right to! He may be my son by blood, but he has a father figure - the man that Christine married. If you go in there and tell Gustav the truth you could jeopardize their marriage! What if the Vicomte found out the truth? He could hurt Christine! He could hurt Gustav! I don't trust that man, but Christine is married to him. Whether she loves me or not, she plans to stay devoted to the man she married. She would never forgive me if she knew I was the reason their marriage failed." Erik didn't want to believe half the stuff he was saying, but he had no choice. What he wanted to do was go into their home and beg Christine to come back to him, but there was no point! Was there? She loved her husband.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Meg felt the tug of Erik's hand and stopped immediately. "Well, here's what I see." She yanked her hand away. "I see a man who hasn't done anything but mope while Mother and I do everything else. I see a man that doesn't have a clue what he wants." She glared at him. "I see someone who is hurt and will die hurt. I see someone that is just going to keep living a lie." She got very close to Erik. "On second thought, that's another thing you taught little miss perfect. You taught her how to lie." Meg kept up her speed, heading for the de Chagneys.

 

[Guile]

Erik was shocked and irritated, to say the least, by Meg's persistent behavior. "I know exactly what I want! I want her! I want Christine and Gustav! I want my family and you know this." Fuming, he ran after her again. "Living a lie? A lie?! You are one to talk of living lies, Meg! What happened ten years ago? Or have you forgotten?" Erik grabbed her and pushed her to the ground. He wasn't forceful enough to hurt her, but enough to stop her from moving again. He propped himself just above her, holding her arms to the ground as he glared furiously at her. "You threw yourself upon me! Do you remember that, Meg? Was that out of loneliness, or was it truly love for this hideous monster that I am? Have you finally gotten over your affection for me, or are you still living a lie as well?" As soon as Erik brought this all up, he knew it was awful of him - rude and inconsiderate - but he could not stop! Oh, the girl had made him so furious, speaking to him in such a way! As if he could just walk into Christine's home and ask for her love, and that she would simply go away with him! "Perhaps that is what this little outburst of yours is about. It is about you! Isn't it?!" He growled furiously, still gripping her wrists firmly.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Meg couldn't move from her spot on the ground. This was the worst kind of deja vu one could ever experience. "I-I'm sorry!" She trembled under him. "I'm sorry! I ruined everything! I was just trying to help!" Just like all those years ago, though their positions are switched now, Meg was crying. "Please, get off!" She begged, hair plastered to lips now. "I'm still lying to myself! I admit it!" She struggled under him. Oh, if Christine saw Erik now, she would never return to him! "Please, just let go and I promise that I won't say a thing to Gustav!" No, she would disappear and never come back. This was terrifying to her. "Please, Erik. Please!" She continued to struggle.

 

[Guile]

He realized the irony of it all, of what he was doing. He was forcing poor Meg below him, holding her so that she could not move. Frightening her beyond belief. And yet, unlike her, Erik could not stand to hurt her so. He saw her tears, felt her trembling, and realized how horribly unfair he was being. Immediately, he released her wrists and climbed off of her. He was ashamed of himself, of the way he had acted. How could I be such a brute? And to poor Meg! She was only trying to help me... Erik leaned over her, where she lay on the ground, and reached out a trembling hand to her face, brushing her hair back. "Meg...Meg..." His voice even quivered, as he was close to tears. He couldn't believe what he had done. He couldn't believe that he had just treated Meg so. "I am so sorry. I am awful....I never meant to frighten you. I would never hurt you, you know that." He recoiled his hand quickly and turned away from her, ashamed - unable to look her in the eyes. "I was so afraid...I didn't want you to tell Gustav." Erik put his head in his hands and took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. God, he hated to cry in front of her - in front of anyone. "I shouldn't have said those things. Forgive me, Meg. Please, forgive me."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Meg quivered as he touched her. It wasn't that he was hurting her, it's just that the agonizing night played in her mind like a horrible film. She couldn't get that night from her mind. "Please, don't-don't touch me." She pushed herself up and headed back to Phantasma. "Just leave me alone. I'll be alright." Meg promised with a turn of the head toward the entire crew, to prove that she was talking to all of them. "I just need some air. I was just trying to help. I hate seeing Erik like this." She shut her door behind her laid on her bed. "That was so stupid."

 

[Guile]

Erik was beyond feeling guilty. The man was ashamed of himself. To throw Meg back into thoughts of that night was awful of him! He should never have let his anger get the best of him, all it did was upset the one person who was trying to help him. Erik longed to go after her and apologize, but he didn't know what that would do. She was probably far too upset with him to even listen. He looked up at his surroundings - he was halfway between Phantasma and the de Chagney home. What to do? He could go back to his circus and mope, as Meg said he always did, or he could go to Christine. At least if he spoke to Christine about the designs he would be able to get his mind off of what had just happened. Deciding to listen to Meg for once, Erik removed himself from the ground and started heading towards Christine's home, in the hopes that this encounter would cheer him up, or at least distract him from Meg.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine was now listening to Gustav's song that he had written while he was with Erik. "Mister Y says that he loves it and that I'd be as good as him one day." Gustav told her as cheerily as any ten year old young man could. He was probably more excited about it than his mother. Then again, perhaps he wasn't. "Well, you now have two huge fans instead of one, my love." She told him while stroking his hair. "It's truly beautiful." "If only Father could hear it now. He hasn't been home for some time." The poor boy stared at his mother, expecting the woman to say something, but Christine couldn't. "I'm sure that your father would love it." She finally decided.

 

[Guile]

Erik finally arrived at the de Chagney home and, deciding that Raoul was once again out, took a few moments to compose himself before he entered through the front door. From somewhere in the house, Erik heard Christine's voice, a sound he would know anywhere, and followed it into the room. He was slightly surprised to see Gustav there, thought he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was because Erik had gotten it in his head that he would never see his son again. And yet, here he was at the piano, his mother beside him. "Christine, Gustav." Erik smiled softly, feeling quite out of place as he greeted them in their own home. He felt rather unwelcome here and yet, that hadn't stopped him from coming before. Had it? "Forgive me for the intrusion, I only wished to discus some things about the performance with you, Christine." He hoped that she wouldn't be to unhappy to see him, for he was so proud of these designs.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The mother's immediate reaction was to shield her son, afraid that his father had come to take him, but when he mentioned designs, she relaxed her grip on the boy and allowed him to see Mister Y. "You came back." Christine murmured. "I thought you came to go back on our deal, but you only came back to speak about it." She laughed a little, feeling rather childish. "Alright, I'll look at them with you." She walked toward him, slowly, carefully. "What do you have, then, my friend?" She waited to be shown the designs.

 

[Guile]

Erik was hurt by Christine's reaction, but he could hardly hide it. All he could do was look at the ground, so that she could not see the pain in his eyes. Glad, though he was, when she released Gustav, Erik still felt...untrusted. "I made a promise to you. I intend to keep it." He reminded her, looking up only to be hurt again when he saw how timid she was about approaching him. Still, he handed her the designs without saying a word. How could he speak? They were all caught in his throat.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She looked at the designs as she spread them over a coffee table in the center of the room. "You truly are amazing, my friend." She told him with an air of excitement. "These designs are beautiful. Every single detail is just exquisite." Gustav looked the designs over. "I told you he was a genius, Mother." Christine smiled at her boy. "Isn't it about time that you went wash up for dinner, Gustav?" She tilted her head toward the dining hall.

 

[Guile]

Erik hovered just a few feet away, looking rather anxious to see her reaction. Oh, and he was delighted by the excitement when it showed on her beautiful face! Even Gustav liked them. A genius? My boy thinks I am a genius? The thought brought a bittersweet smile to Erik's lips. "Thank you, both of you. I was hoping you would like them. I was actually hoping to surprise you with them, Christine. I didn't want to show you until the night of the performance, but I thought you would like to have time to pick out a dress that will go with my designs."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine stood from her spot, hovering over the table, and turned toward him, a bright and loving smile etched on her face. "Thank you so much, for everything that you've done in my life." Christine embraced her former lover with such acceptance and kindness that it actually radiated off of her. "Alright, Mother." Gustav told her in an answer to her question, turning on his heel toward the kitchen to wash up. "Care to join us for dinner, Erik?" Christine asked him as she let go.

 

[Guile]

Erik looked up at her just in time to see that beautiful smile of hers. He hadn't seen it in so long, especially not directed at him. "You are more than deserving of any possible good I have done for you, and much more." Oh, and her embrace! It was so warm and gentle, he had to close his eyes to focus on it - to let the feeling seep in so that he would not forget it, when the time came that he would no longer see her. For, Erik was certain that as soon as this performance was over, she would ask that he not attempt to see her again. And, he had promised that he would leave her and her family in peace. However, what was the harm in spending time with her and Gustav for now? Normally he would have declined her offer, not wanting to impose, but he just couldn't - not tonight. In just a few weeks he would see Christine up on his stage, hear her beautiful voice, and then she and their son would be gone from him forever. No, tonight Erik would be a tad selfish and stay. "I would love to join you, Christine." He let his arms drop back to his sides as soon as she let go.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Excellent!" Christine told him, excitedly as the brunette brought the pasta over to the table and started spooning it onto each plate. "I hope you like it. Even if you don't, you'll like it just to make me happy." She smiled at Erik Gustav came back. "I want to sit next to Mr. Y." He told them, taking a seat next to where he assumed Erik would be sitting. Christine laughed at her son. "Alright, but mind your manners, darling." Gustav sighed. "I know, Mother, dear."

 

[Guile]

"Of course, Christine." Erik couldn't help laughing at Christine's somewhat true statement. Even if he didn't like it, he would never hurt her by telling her so. On the other hand, there wasn't a thing Christine could make that he wouldn't like. Erik smiled when he saw how eager Gustav was to sit next to him. It truly was a comforting thought to know that his son wanted to be near him and thought so highly of him, even if the boy couldn't know that Erik was his father. He gladly took a seat next to him. "I've no doubt that your son will be the perfect gentleman, right Gustav?" Erik grinned at the boy and waited for Christine to seat herself before he allowed himself to eat.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Gustav smiled up at Erik, idolizing him. "Of course, sir." He waited for Christine to sit before he said the prayer. "Dear Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for the food you've given us and that we have a guest to join us to enjoy your meal. I only wish and pray that my father will come home safely. Amen." He opened his eyes and smiled. "That was beautiful, sweetheart." Christine smiled and ate her meal.

 

[Guile]

Erik bowed his head and closed his eyes, respectfully, for the prayer. "That it was, Gustav. Thank you." When he opened his eyes again and began to eat, he couldn't help glancing at Gustav, thinking about his prayer. The poor boy. He is left without a father to care for him every time the Vicomte goes off like this. Who knows if he is even shown attention by his father, even when he is home? And Christine...she deserves to have her husband by her side, loving her with every breath that he takes. She is so beautiful, as is Gustav...why does he go off and leave them? Being without them is destroying me, and Christine isn't my wife. Gustav doesn't know that he is my son. How can that man deny them what they so rightfully deserve? A loving husband and father. "Christine, this is wonderful - absolutely delicious. And I promise I am not just saying that to make you happy." Erik joked lightly, his smile ever so bright.